Use of aquatic environment for assessing functional tests: feasibility, benefits, and challenges compared to land-based tests
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/Keywords:
Aquatic Therapy, Hydrotherapy, Physical Functional Performance, Evaluation StudyAbstract
This study aimed to investigate the feasibility,
benefits, and challenges of using aquatic environment
to assess physical function tests compared with landbased
assessments. A total of 40 individuals underwent
the 6-minute walk test (TC6), 2-minute step test (TSD2’),
and timed get-up-and-go (TUG) test, both on land and
in a 1.2-meter water depth pool. Perceived exertion was
measured using the Modified Borg scale. Paired Student’s
t-tests and Cohen d were used to compare assessments in
water and on land. Significance was set at 5%. Compared
to land, participants walked less in water during the TC6
(d=3.69, p<0.001) and took longer to complete the TUG
test (d=2.76, p=0.001). No differences were observed in
perceived exertion between land and water during the
TC6 (p=0.055) and TUG test (p=0.32). Regarding TME2’,
there was no difference in performance between the environments (p=0.45). Conversely, participants experienced
lower perceived exertion during the TSD2’ in water (d=1.15, p=0.001).
In conclusion, an aquatic environment is a feasible option for
conducting functional tests. Although water may have increased
the difficulty of certain assessments, the perceived exertion in
water was either lower than or comparable to that of land
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Copyright (c) 2025 Gustavo Christofoletti, Anna Julia Santana Ribeiro, Maria Fernanda de Souza Macedo, Gabriela Maria da Silva Béé, Sidney Afonso Sobrinho-Junior, Jefferson Rosa Cardoso
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